April 14th, 2009
HEADLINE NEWS
Educational Modernization Gets Boost Worth Billions
More than $100 billion in stimulus money is on its way to schools, colleges, and universities nationwide as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, with more than $75 billion tagged for educational facility modernization, renovation, technology, and construction. The billion-dollar boost in the education design and construction market makes the next several months a prime time for launching new projects and completing projects delayed by education market’s previous financial challenges.
The ARRA provides $40 billion in state stabilization funds, which will be distributed to states in exchange for a commitment to begin advancing education reforms, according to the U.S. Department of Education. School systems may spend some of this money on school modernization. Another $2 billion covers technology grants. Additional school modernization money—up to $33.6 billion—gives states and school systems the authority to issue $24.8 billion in bonds over the next 10 years for renovation, repairs, and school construction.
School districts, colleges, and universities that can now move forward with modernization, renovation, and construction plans have free access to hundreds of best practices and award-winning ideas on the LEARNING BY DESIGN Web site, www.learningbydesign.biz. The publication showcases outstanding educational facility design and construction projects. LEARNING BY DESIGN 2009 is also available in print and includes feature articles and case studies about the latest trends and innovations in education design. Download the order form.
Education Design Excellence Now Has Higher Visibility
Architects, designers, engineers, and all who have a hand in designing and constructing innovative educational facilities now have twice the opportunity to showcase their best work in the nation’s leading magazine for education design excellence. Starting in 2010, LEARNING BY DESIGN will publish two editions and present two awards programs.
LEARNING BY DESIGN, presented by Stratton Publishing & Marketing in partnership with the National School Boards Association, each April publishes a General Excellence Edition. The 2009 General Excellence Edition is now available, and features this year’s outstanding projects, as well as Grand Prize, Citation of Excellence, and Honorable Mention Award winners. Beginning in 2010, LEARNING BY DESIGN will publish twice—the General Excellence Edition (April) and a new Special Edition: Focus on Green Design & Technology (October). Publishers say the education design community is excited about now having two opportunities to showcase its best work and gain national recognition through the magazine’s prestigious awards program.
The LEARNING BY DESIGN 2010 Call for Entries—which includes information about both editions—is available online. Download pdf. To request a print copy, e-mail the editor, mhendrickson@strattonpublishing.com.
LEED Projects Doubled in 2008
The overall number of LEED-registered and LEED-certified projects doubled in 2008; of those more than 130 are LEED-certified educational facilities, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. The square footage of all LEED-certified construction also increased—from 148 million to 284 million square feet. The USGBC is optimistic that LEED project growth will continue.
"We're feeling confident that this truly represents a shift in the market," says Rachel Gutter, the USGBC’s senior manager for the education sector. In a renewed effort to get even more school districts on board, the USGBC is leading several initiatives, including a new toolkit aimed at existing school buildings.
The new toolkit is introduced in the recently released 2009 edition of LEARNING BY DESIGN. A feature article, “Green Today, Sustainable Tomorrow,” written by the USGBC’s Doug Smeath, outlines the resources the new toolkit delivers. To read more, click here.
New University Campus Serves K-12 Students
Florida A&M University has opened its new $24 million Development Research School that will serve nearly 500 K-12 students on the university's Tallahassee campus. The six-building project was completed in 19 months and features a campuswide wireless network.
The Development Research School features elementary, middle, and high school classrooms as well as an administrative wing and a cafeteria/auditorium with a full commercial kitchen. This project illustrates a developing trend in educational design—co-locating facilities and resources to benefit multiple levels of students as well as the greater community.
Pine Jog Elementary School and the Florida Atlantic University Environmental Education Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, recently won a major educational facility design award for its innovative project. The university’s College of Education offers student teaching opportunities at the Environmental Education Center, where K-5 students learn about environmental stewardship. To read more, click here.
FEATURES ARTICLES
Equating School and Safety
By Jay R. Tittle, AIA
Does going to school automatically equal being safe? It should, but it doesn’t.
Educational facilities—from pre-K to post-secondary—are exposed to any number of security threats on a daily basis. From non-permitted visitors and student violence to drugs, weapons, and even environmental and biological hazards, the range of safety threats an educational facility must address can be overwhelming. But with careful and comprehensive planning, it quickly becomes less daunting. Read more.
Modernizing Learning Environments
By Chandra V. Nilekani, MRAIC, LEED AP
A national report by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Knocking at the College Door, projects that recent years of high school population growth soon will be followed by declines in many states. This trend likely will force more educators to confront the same issue faced by Delaware’s Brandywine School District—how to obtain maximum value for younger students by renovating a former high school.
Achieving this goal begins by identifying how existing resources in the building and its features can help support current educational goals and strategies with limited modification. Careful analysis and a measure of creativity helped do just that at Pierre S. duPont School in Wilmington, resulting in some unusual ways to enrich students’ educational experience. Read more.
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